Croydon Nightwatch and Food Stops all tell of challenges from increasing poverty.
The leaders of three of our eight partner organisations which regularly receive food and money from the Food Hub were the guest speakers at the Food Hub’s Annual Meeting on October 10th.
They expressed their heartfelt thanks for our support and went on to give the 50 people attending an insight into their organisations’ activities. Each one told of the increasing numbers of people needing their help and the complex challenges which that presents.
The full presentations are available on our YouTube channel here.
CROYDON NIGHTWATCH
Jad Adams, Chair, said that Nightwatch volunteers have gone out in central Croydon every night of the year since 1976 to provide food and other help to people who are homeless and vulnerable:
“We see people who are literally street homeless, people who are in temporary accommodation, people who have other kinds of challenges, people in rehab, people who have got accommodation but haven’t got enough money to pay their rent and other bills and also for food…We help them with furniture, with clothing, with work clothes and equipment.”
He highlighted two challenges that Nightwatch currently faces: increased numbers needing help (60 on a weekday night rising to 80-90 at weekends) with increased pressures on resources and often older volunteers, and the need to provide a shelter in an area between Fell Road and Katharine Street, near to Croydon Council’s offices.
Progress on this had been painfully slow but Jad said he was intending to raise it when he met with the Deputy Mayor and Head of Housing the following week.
Click here or on the image alongside to view a video of Jad’s presentation.
FIELDWAY FAMILY CENTRE & FOOD STOP
Julia Weller, Chief Executive Officer, said the Food Stop grew out of a pilot scheme, Community Connect, helping people facing eviction:
“We helped them with their rent arrears, budgeting, etc, and people said they were really struggling with food…The Food Stop opened in 2018, for a week we had 20 families, then 50. Now we see between 100-130 families a week. We charge them £4 – that goes straight back into replenishing stock, but we are spending £400 a week to restock and that is without the wonderful generous donations from the Food Hub.”
She said that for some people, it is their one weekly shop: “I think, really, in this day and age, when we’re such a rich country, that’s a crying shame.”
The Centre also offers a Universal Credit adviser, welfare rights officer, tenancy officers, income officers, hygiene bank, help to apply for discretionary housing payments/household support fund, mental health support, coffee mornings and a brunch club for over 65s: “anything to uplift the community, raise aspirations and help people who are struggling.”
Click here or on the image alongside to view a video of Julia’s presentation.
PURLEY FOOD STOP
Nick Graves, Pastor of Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, said that as well as the Food Hub’s donations, the Food Stop receives 30 tonnes of food a year from Fairshare and now 10 tonnes of food from Neighbourly:
“It means we’re able to provide the people who turn up to us on a Friday with not just tinned food but fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, meat, chilled and frozen food. Most of all it is choice about what they want.”
Each week they see around 70 families, going up by 20 per cent towards Christmas. Nick said: “We open our doors at 8.00am, but we know that at 5.30 and 6.00 the queue starts outside. When they come in. they’re greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and pastries, fruit and cereal.
“Sitting down, giving them a hot drink, something to eat, allows our team of experts to work the room.
“We use the tagline: we’re a hand up, not a hand out…We want to be able to get to the root of what is happening so that over time, they no longer need us.”
Nick went on to make an impassioned plea for all of us to:
“Become agents of justice, challenging the systems that perpetuate poverty and equality, advocating for policies that ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to strive as God’s people.”
Click here or on the image alongside to view a video of Nick’s presentation.
Attendees at the AGM were also provided with copies of our 2023/2024 Annual Report. This is available to be viewed here.